Crime
Information, News, Links and Photos for Woking, Guildford, Camberley
and all the towns and villages around, including Crime Pevention,
Surrey Police, list of local police contact details.
Watch
out for Phone Scam to get your 3 digit card security number.
1. This has been passed on via another
Force area through our own Fraud Department In Wiltshire Constabulary,
and it is a very convincing
SCAM. We have been asked to disseminate the information as widely
and was quickly as we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe
and others.
This one is pretty slick since they
provide YOU with all the
information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do
not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information
is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard
Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to
protect yourself.. One of our employees was called on Wednesday
from
"VISA", and I was called on Thursday from "MasterCard".
The scam
works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and
I'm
calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge
number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase
pattern, and I'm calling to verify.. This would be on your VISA
card
which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an
Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company
based
in London ?" When you say "No", the caller continues
with, "Then we
will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have
been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497,
just under
the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your
next
statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address),
is
that correct?" You say "yes". The caller continues
- "I will be
starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you
should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card
(0800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this
Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do
you
need me to read it again?"
Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the
scam works the caller then
says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card."
He'll
ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers."
There
are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next
3
are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the
card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet
purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to
read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers,
he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the
card
has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card.
Do
you have any other questions?" After you say, "No,"
the caller then
thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you
do", and
hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or
tell you the Card number.
But after we were called on Wednesday,
we called back within 20
minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA
Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes
a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card. Long story
-
short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account.
VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the
3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them.
Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for
verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they
will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the
information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers
your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit.
However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for
purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or
more difficult to actually file a fraud report.
What makes this more remarkable is
that on Thursday, I got a call
from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word
repeat
of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up!
We
filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they
are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to
tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.
Please pass this on to all your family
and friends.. By informing
each other, we protect each other..
Neighbourhood Inspector James Norbury
explains the proposed changes to Surrey Police buildings in Surrey
Heath and invites the public to share their views on where they
would like to meet their Safer Neighbourhood Team.
A
man who stole a car, drove it the wrong way round the Guildford
one way system, rammed a police car and ran off after crashing it
into the entrance gate at Mount Browne, Surrey Police's Headquarters,
was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to a charge
of aggravated vehicle taking at Guildford Crown Court on 20 July.
Links